Pettigrew's Daughter

Pettigrew's Daughter

Chapter One: The truth about me.

I've always thought that my father died a hero. That was before I discovered the truth about him.

My name is Stephanie Christina Owens, but my friends and family just call me Chris. I am now sixteen years of age, but when I found out about my father I was thirteen and had just finished my third year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The conversation topic of the year had of course been Sirius Black's miraculous escape from Azkaban. Everyone in the school had their theories of how he'd managed to escape the dementors. I heard many extraordinary theories that year, but I did not really believe any of them. I knew what really happened. Harry had told me. Harry Potter and I are quite good friends. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are also friends of mine. We have been a group since we started Hogwarts. Harry told me what really happened with Sirius Black last year, helped by Ron and Hermione of course.

I remember my mother came to pick me up at platform nine and three quarters like she always did, but she seemed somewhat different this summer. It was something, in lack of a better word, strange about her. She was much more jumpy then she used to be. I asked her several times during the school holidays what the matter was, but she didn't say anything that made my mind easier. The truth came into the light two weeks before the start of the next semester at Hogwarts.

I was sitting in the library reading a book about ancient Roman history when my mother came in.

"Library" may sound posh to you, but the reason we have one is that my mother inherited her parents' house when they died. So my mother moved in with her husband, my brother, and me. But both my stepfather and my brother was killed by one of Voldemorts followers three years ago, just before I started Hogwarts. I heard the name of the person who killed my brother once, but I've forgotten it.

My mother was looking paler than usual, and as she sat down I could see that her hands were trembling. Her voice was also trembling when she finally spoke.

" Chris, I have something to tell you. It's about your father."

This was unexpected. My mother never talked about my father if she could avoid it. The only thing I knew was that my brother was actually only my half brother. We didn't have the same father. My brother's father was killed at the same time my brother was, three years ago. He tried to protect my brother. My mother and I were devastated when they died. My stepfather, whose name was Alexander had raised both my brother and me equally, not offering a thought to the fact that I was not his daughter, even though he had always known about it, I admired him beyond words for that.

My mother had never really told me about my biological father. All I knew was that he was a member of a group that was called " The Order of The Phoenix." As far as I knew at the time, the group did not exist any more. Albus Dumbledore and his followers had formed the group thirteen years ago, with the purpose of destroying Lord Voldemort.

That was all she had told me. Wait no that was not all. She had also told me that my father had been betrayed by his closest friends and sold out to Voldemort. But that was all she ever let me know.

I had disappeared into my own universe, but was brutally ripped out of it and back into the real world when my mother started talking again.

" I'm going to ask you not to interrupt me while I'm talking, all though I realise that you might have questions."

Now my mother was starting to scare me. I had never heard her speak like this about anything, ever. My mother had always been a happy person, taking things with a smile. Now she was completely serious, not even the shadow of a smile on her face.

"Chris.... Peter Pettigrew is your father."

I thought that a bomb had exploded inside my head. Peter Pettigrew...my father. It couldn't be. Peter Pettigrew, the traitor who had sold out his best friend to Voldemort. The worst traitor in recent wizard history was now also my father.

My mother broke the silence. " I have kept this a secret from you, and for that I am truly sorry Chris, but I have also done something much worse. I have been lying to you. I let the public tell their story about what happened, and I let you believe it. I couldn't have done anything worse.

It took a while for the news to sink in. I was absolutely stunned. I was the child of traitor.

" I knew your father from our childhood. We started Hogwarts together. There he met some other boys. James Potter, Harry's father, Remus Lupin your defence against the dark arts teacher this year, and Sirius Black."

" But...so you were with Peter Pettigrew before you met Alexander?" It was the only question that reached my mouth.

" Yes Chris. I was with your father for a long time. We were supposed to get married thirteen years ago. But then... "

" But then what?" I asked, all though I already knew the answer.

" Sirius, Remus, James and Peter remained friends all their years in Hogwarts, and continued their friendship all through their grown up lives. At least they did until Lily and James died that night. Then their friendship was ruined forever.

Remus, James and Sirius had wondered for a long time where Peter disappeared every month. I remember they were joking about Peter also being bitten by a werewolf, just like Remus. That was however not the case. The Dark Lord had recruited Peter. He went to a gathering of Death Eaters every month. At first he was not looked at as a very important member of the Death Eaters. After all he wasn't much to look at. Small of growth as he was, and not very magically powerful, but after a while he started giving the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord information about the Potters. He rose quickly up the ranks, and was soon one of the Dark Lord's best advisors. But the Dark Lord is not a master of great patience. Soon he grew tired of just getting information about what the Potters were doing. He wanted to finish them off for good. He threatened to kill Peter if he did not soon come up with something that could be used to kill the Potters. This was at the same time, as the Potters grew aware that the Dark Lord was going to make a move to kill them and their son Harry. They decided to go into hiding by means of a Secret Keeper. The Potters would need a Secret Keeper. Everyone thought that they chose Sirius Black. The fact is that they did not. They chose Peter. He was made Secret Keeper for the Potters.

So, he sold them out. He told the Dark Lord their whereabouts so the he could find them and kill them. And so he did. But Peter was not successful in hiding from Sirius Black. Black caught up with Peter and tried to kill him for what he had done to the Potters. But Peter was quicker. Your father killed all those muggles Chris, not Sirius Black. He disappeared, and didn't show himself for thirteen years. He left me when I was pregnant with you. But then after a couple of months I met Alexander. He was an Auror, and was one of the people who tried to catch Sirius Black. I should have told him about Peter at once of course, but I didn't. A part of me was still thinking he would come back to me. But he never did."

You cannot imagine what I felt like at that moment. To be told that your father, the person who by all rights should raise you, and raise you in a good way, that that person is nothing more than a traitor. It makes you feel dirty and worthless. You are the offspring of a traitor, a person who would give anyone and anything away for a price. Nothing more.

My mother had fallen silent. She just sat there staring into the fire. I was silent. I felt sick.

Finally I said; "So.... Did everyone know this except from me?

" No they didn't. Because you have my maiden name no one knows that you are Peter Pettigrew's daughter. Except Albus Dumbledore." My mother said silently.

" Yes. Albus Dumbledore. That man knows everything, doesn't he?" I asked my mother.

" Yes, he does. He always knows everything about everybody. Bad and good."

" I think I want to go to the churchyard." I said quietly.

" I'll come with you," my mother said.

We didn't say anything else. We just got up and left.

The churchyard was quiet. Nobody else was there. It wasn't so strange. After all it was past midnight. My mother and I mad our way towards the two graves we knew so well.

Alexander Merlin Lloyd

1955 - 1995

A beloved father and husband.

Lost but never forgotten.

William Peter Lloyd

1988 - 1995

May the angels of heaven watch over you.

Until we meet again.

We stood there, side by side, my mother and me. This was the people we had loved beyond all else. This was the rest of our family.

" Listen, mom could I ask you something?"

" Sure darling, anything."

" Even though Peter Pettigrew is my biological father, does that mean I have to see him as my father? Love him like a father?"

" No Chris. I know you. You will never love Peter Pettigrew as a father. You don't have to. Peter Pettigrew did not raise you. He didn't teach you right from wrong."

" You're right. I'll never see him as my father. Alexander always was, although he was never 'dad' by name."

" What you called him doesn't matter, but the things he taught you do. Peter Pettigrew couldn't have taught you to be a good person even if he wanted to. It just wasn't in him. It seemed like it was for the longest time, but it wasn't, it just wasn't."

" Did you ever see Peter Pettigrew as you husband?"

" Before he joined Voldemort yes. Then I thought he was going to be a great husband. Before he joined Voldemort he seemed a good man. Better than most, but something changed him. I don't know what it was, and I guess I never will know. All I know is that something happened.

No Chris, Alexander Lloyd was my husband and your father, and he always will be, even though he's dead now. He's never gone Chris. We will always remember him. At least I will"

" I will too mom, don't worry. Alexander was my father, and he will still be. Even now that you've told me the truth."

We stood still there for a while. Then walked silently back to our house.